Manufacture of textile fibers



Patented Mar. 10, 1931 ass JOSEPH VIALLET, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO N. T. ARTIFICIAL WOOL COMPANY, LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, A COMPANY OF GREAT BRITAIN MANUFACTURE OF TEXTILE FIBERS No Drawing. Application filed October 5, 1929, Serial No. 397,755, and in France October 8, 1928.

I the original fiber are produced.

The process of manufacture of this invention comprises several successive operations. The cleaned waste material is first subjected to a fermentation and softening treatment,

. then unravelled and boiled with a dilute alkaline liquor.

The alkaline liquor employed may be the liquor resulting from a previous boiling process. The fiber is then washed, bleached, treated in order to render it supple, for example,

with a bath containing'oil, soap and a small roportion of alkali, rinsed, dried to a content of about of water, carded and dried. The process is described below in greater detail as applied to old remnants of sacks and like fabric in order to indicate its essential characteristics. 1

To commence with, the material is sorted according to the qualities of the fiber, then beaten to remove dust and finally washed in running water.

Thus preliminarily prepared the sacks or the old cloths preferably of the same texture are heaped together and during this operation wetted with a solution containing, for

example, per litre of water:

0.02 grams of olein or other fatty acid, petroleum jelly or the like.

0.01 grams of potassium nitrate.

0.01 grams of magnesium sulphate.

0.01 grams of potassium phosphate, and heated to about 30 C.

In this solution'the olein represents the softening agent, and the salts have a nutritive effect in the fermentation.

The sacks are left piled up for 24; to 48 hours according to the desired result. During this time there is produced a fermentation which causes rise in temperaturewhich may attain toO to C. and even more if the course of fermentation is not carefully supervised.

When the fermentation has arrived at the desired point the sacks are immediately passed into a disintegrating machine. These sacks which are still warm and still under the action of the ferment can easily be opened out, the fiber does not break and exhibits its previous length since during the fermentation and softening it has already acquired a certain suppleness and a certain elasticity and consequently it slips and does not break.

Another great advantage obtained by this process is that the humidity maintained and produced during the fermentation has intimately penetrated the fiber and does not permit dust to be produced in the disintegrating machine.

It is thus possible to work in any locality without fear of fire and Without even having recourse to air purifying apparatus.

The fiber thus obtained passes into a scouring bath of a very low content either of caus tic soda or sodium carbonate with 1 per cent. of magnesium chloride which has the effect of preventing any destructive action of the caustic alkali.v Instead of the magnesium chloride it is also possible to employ alkaline earths, ammonia or the like. The temperature of the bath is progresslvely increased to boiling, care being taken to cause the bath to circulate rapidly. In this manner ligneous products which gummed up the' fiber dissolve and after about an hour the fiber is withdrawn. It is found to be more supple, relatively elastic, even and free from all incrustations.

The complete removal is not easily obtained in the first operation although, it can be effected with care and the purpose of the first treatment is rather to obtain the stock liquid which will serve for a following treatment. p v A further characteristic of the process which forms the object of the invention consists in the employment of these stock liquids, which after the first bath are used again, for not only the soda contained in the bath acts as well as the magnesium chloride but there are saponified ligneous substances in the liquid which dissolve the substances which gum up the fiber rendering the liquid thick and dark brown.

The fact is that in practice these baths give extraordinary results and that after treatment and rinsing the brown fiber of the Waste material becomes clear yellow. It is probable that there is a strong reducing action on the fiber, for if this clear yellow fiber is left in the air in the moist state it oxidizes again and gradually returns to its natural colour.

The fiber thus treated and washed is bleached in the customary manner by the most suitable process. Then it is passed into a bath containing, for example 2- 2.5 per cent. of soap, 2.5 per cent. of pet-1o leum jelly, 0.5 per cent. of any suitable alkali.

The bath is heated to 30 to C. and circulates through the fiber for about half hour. Subsequently, the fiber is hydro-extracted and dried until it contains only about 30 to 35 C. of moisture. Then in the moist state the fiber is passed into wool carding machines and the product obtained is dried.

In subjecting in this manner all waste materials capable of producing fib r to this treatment there is obtained a fiber which is white, curly, supple and with considerable elasticity. Its properties are changed, its resistance is increased and, wl'iich is important, it resists in admixture wiih other fibers a very prolon'ged fulling. Its thermal properties are also improved.

It is obvious that the numerical data given above have no limiting character and can be modified in practice within wide limits without departure from the scope of the inven tion.

I claim 1. In the manufacture of textile fibers suitable for spinning, the treatment of cleaned waste vegetable fibrous material of any suitable type, such as waste jute fabric Witha solution which promotes fermentation and with a softening agent, unravelling the material when the fermentation has proceeded to the desired extent and boiling with a dilute solution of alkali.

2. In the manufacture of textile fibers suitable for spinning, subjecting cleaned waste vegetable fibrous material to fermentationin the presence of a nutritive medium and to the action of a softening agent, unravelling the fermented material and treating it with a dilute solution of alkali at an elevated temperature, and afterwards washing, bleaching, softening and drying the material.

3. In the manufacture of textile fibers suitable for spinning, subjecting cleaned waste vegetable fibrous material to fermentation in the presence of a nutritive medium and to the action of a softening agent, unravelling the fermented material and treating it with a dilute solution of alkali at an elevated temperature, and afterwards washing, bleaching, softening, rinsing, partially drying, carding and further drying the materlal.

4:. In the manufacture of textile fibers suitable for spinning, subjecting cleaned waste vegetable fibrous material to fermentatlon 1n the presence of a nutritive medium and to the action of a softening agent, unravelling the fermentedmaterial and boiling it in dilute alkaline liquor comprising a substance such as magnesium chloride for preventing destrucive action of alkali.

5. In the manufacture of textile fibers suitable for spinning, a process which comprises the steps of impregnating cleaned waste vegetable fibrous material with a fermentation nutritive medium and allowing it to stand in a heap until fermentation has progressed to the desired extent, scouring the fermented material with dilute alkali and treating the material with a softening agent.

6. Process for the manufacture of textile fibers by wetting cleaned waste vegetable fibrous material with a dilute solution of olein, ma nesium sulphate, potassium nitrate and potassium phosphate heated to about 30 C. heaping the waste material together and allowing fermentation to proceed for about 24%8 hours, unravelling the material, boiling with a dilute solution of caustic soda or sodium carbonate and magnesium chloride, which solution may have been used for a previous treatment, washing, bleaching and passing into a bath comprising soap, petroleum jelly and a suitable alkali, drying until it contains about of water, carding and drying.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing to be my invention, I have signed my name this 23rd day of September, 1929.

JOSEPH VIALLET. 

